Lifting hard and walking tall.

As a bodybuilder putting on mass and size is essential to the whole practice. There’s a difference between being just strong and athletic and being both while also having massive muscle. It’s the reason bodybuilders hit the weights in the first place. No one who lives this lifestyle eats a ton of protein, watches their macro nutrients and busts their ass in the gym just so they can put up a 200 lbs bench.

For some lifters and bodybuilders, putting on size is a fairly simple task. They’ve been blessed with the genetics to build size with ease. But there are those out there that have a much more difficult time putting on muscle. For the taller lifters out there who possess longer limbs, putting on size is a much more difficult task for a number of reason. The disadvantages of being a taller lifter could possibly spell doom for your gains, but it isn’t impossible. For all the taller lifters out there, here are some tips to keep in mind to make gaining size a simpler task.

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Turn your disadvantage into advantage

When it comes to taller lifters, it’s often sited that their biggest disadvantage is the fact that their longer limbs make hauling upwards of 400 lbs for their one rep max a more difficult task. Mind you, it doesn’t mean it’s impossible, but their longer limbs make it harder to do the bigger lifts than it would for a shorter lifter. Why? Because their longer limbs, the bar has a farther distance to travel. For instance, when performing a bench press, barbell down to chest and up again, travels much farther due to the length of their arms. That’s okay. Instead of being pissed that you can’t max out at a heavier weight, use your longer limbs as an opportunity to build your strength. By lifting lighter weight and performing more reps rather than just maxing out, you could build bigger, stronger muscles just due to the force, time and space that your limbs must travel. The additional time of hauling the weight could mean additional muscle.
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Embrace the pin press

Some lifters may not love doing pin press. Some think that it’s cheating, while others sing its praises as being an invaluable tool to making gains. The pin press can help in a number of ways for the tall lifter. For one, they won’t have to fully bend their elbows when performing the lift which would normally make pushing the bar back up one hell of a task. It also means less stress on your shoulders and elbows. To get the most out of the pin press, performing cluster reps will prove to be the best medicine in order to get the hypertrophy that you seek.